Absolution
by Aperture Lurker
Summary: Post Portal 2. Chell is finally free so what would make her change her mind and return? ChellDOS  with smut later . Chapter 2 is up.
1. Chapter 1

Absolution  
>Chapter One: Catch and Release<p>

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><p>Chell stepped out of the lift warily. Was this real, or was it another part of Aperture? GLaDOS had told her to never come back and even composed a farewell (good riddance?) song, but was that a lie, or could this actually be the door to freedom? Her feet did the thinking for her and moved her through the door and on to the concrete. She blinked rapidly to adjust to the overwhelming light and looked out at the expansive land. The wheat that surrounded on all sides was as gold as it could ever be. The clouds were like fluffy rabbits against a blue backdrop and it went on for miles and mi-<p>

SLAM.

The woman spun around on her heel, ready to face whatever it was, and saw a plain, worn shack. A clanking and rumbling vibrated the ground under her feet and Chell tensed up. The door swung open and spitted out a familiar metal box before closing Aperture Science off from the world. No one would be the wiser of the rusted tin shack with the electrical warning posted on the door.

As the echo of the noise quickly faded, Chell stared at the Companion Cube. The dents, bullet holes, and charred body described exactly how the woman felt and she suddenly felt closer to the weighted cube than anything else. A breeze picked up, moving her hair, and Chell closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. The wheat she was surrounded by didn't have much of an aroma but she faintly detected an earthly scent she thought she would never encounter.

Trees. A forest. There was grass somewhere with birds chirping. And she could feel the sun on her skin - actual sun. Not the cold artificial daylight provided underground, but real there's-a-giant-burning-ball-of-gas warmth she could only feel from the real sun. A memory flashed through her mind of how tempting it was to lie down on the Hard Light Bridges, but her fantasy was ruined by the idea of her hair setting ablaze. But here, here she felt like she could _smell_ the sunlight. Aquamarine met cerulean as she opened her eyes and looked up at the sky. The real sky – the one with no end. It went on for miles and miles and even though Chell knew she couldn't, she felt as if she could reach up and grab it. There were no pixels hidden beneath a false hue, no walls to box her in, just an endless blue atmosphere. Chell picked up the Companion Cube and held it casually in front of her. The woman looked at the horizon line, trying to determine the best direction to go.

_'Anywhere but here.'_

She started her way through the wheat, wondering what was to happen now, when a dull pain rose in her jaw. She opened her mouth to stretch out the muscle when she realized: she was smiling. She knew on an instinctual level that it was a normal thing humans did but it had been so long that it actually hurt to smile. An airy chuckle escaped her at how absurd that was. She could see the warning tag now, _'Aperture Science. Side effects may include death, shattered knee caps, and inability to smile.' _The chuckle turned into a giggle and then silent laughter before going on full hysterics. The Companion Cube thudded to the ground as Chell could no longer hold it from shaking with laughter. She dropped to her knees, holding her sides.

She was free. It felt as if her body had been chained to those stark white walls and now they were gone. Her body felt lighter, as did her heart and mind. No more murderous super computers, no more toxic pits or crushing spike plates. She would miss the portals but she was FREE. She was determined that whatever was out here now would be better than the horrors of the late Cave Johnson. Tears formed in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks. Chell slumped forward, resting her head against the cube, and a lump rose in her throat. Her face scrunched up, feeling the pain of everything hit her like a ton of bricks. The laughter turned into sobs. Hidden in the wheat the woman clung to the metal box as if she would be dragged back and it was the only thing that could stop it.

She had no idea how long she stayed curled against the box. Her tears had long run dry and her body ached with exhaustion. But she knew she couldn't stay here, especially not this close to her former captor. She shuddered at the thought of GLaDOS changing her mind about letting her go. Chell rose to her feet and wiped her face off with her hands. She knew she had to go somewhere, anywhere, so she picked her Companion back up and continued forward.

The sun had lowered its position in the sky but there was still more than a few hours in the day. She had long ago left the perfectly square field of wheat and trudged along through plains of grass. In the distance Chell could make out some trees and beyond that mountains. She wondered if GLaDOS had told the truth before and if there really were humans. She hadn't seen any deer so the idea of any other social contact seemed faint. The adrenal vapors had long worn off and she felt dehydrated and ready to collapse but she (_stubbornly_) kept going. She would take the occasional break but would start to doze off and jump up to get going again.

She reached the trees by sunset and couldn't believe her luck. It must be some deranged fate that was in charge of this happening. She could hear Wheatley's voice now.

"Okay, say 'apple.' Aaapple."

She was staring at an apple orchard. The hunger that had been a low growl before turned into a roar now. Quickly she sat the cube under the nearest tree and all but leapt at the low hanging fruit. She held the red sphere in her hands in disbelief. It was perfect. Only nature would create something this amazingly perfect. Without any further hesitation she brought it to her lips and bit. It was bitter and still had days before they ripened to standard quality but it was the best thing Chell had tasted in a long, long time. As the juice dribbled down her chin and lips smacked loudly, she could hear the snarky voice in her head comment about being undignified. It didn't even phase her now, she would never have to worry about that voice again.

Chell threw the inedible core behind her and grabbed another, eating it as if someone would take it from her. She kept the cycle going it until there was a pile behind her and her stomach felt as if it could burst. She leaned against the bark of the tree and slid down to the cool grass with a satisfied sigh. A hand moved lazily through the soft green blades and she smiled softly. She never thought she could be as happy as she was now. The woman looked at the Companion Cube next to her and used the sleeve of the jump suit to wipe off the soot on top. She leaned on the cube and rested her head on top. She fell asleep almost immediately.

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><p>Author's note:<p>

:I Well this is what happens when I try to write porn. It feels the need to have a plot. Sorry, people. Anyway, I do plan to continue.  
>And yes. There will be smut.<br>Don't expect the chapters to be very long, or even for this to be a full on adventure story.|  
>Just some ideas I needed to get out.<br>Thank you, your input is welcomed.


	2. Chapter 2

Absolution

Chapter Two: If It Makes You Happy

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><p>GLaDOS watched through her yellow optic as the elevator rose and disappeared into the ceiling. It was all over. The human was gone, she was back in control of her facility, and she could focus on more important matters like-<p>

"Cara bella, cara mia bella."

So the turrets did decide to say their goodbyes.

Much like hornets were connected to the queen of the hive, so were the turrets to GLaDOS. The music - and the simulated emotion - resonated throughout to her very core. She would have shuddered, if allowed, and tried to focus on the important things instead.

_-blip-_

Like testing. Just the thought of beginning the tests again made her processors whirl with excitement.

_-blip-_

With no deranged test subjects running around, she could test for the remainder of time. Well, as long as it would be before the sun swallowed the Earth whole. But there was still a few millennium before that would happened.

_-blip-_

There was a plethora of possibilities available now. She could continue to work on the quantum portal device tests to further advance Aperture Science ahead of Black Mesa.

_-blip-_

She could start up the Center for Human Annihilation Studies Group.

_-blip-_

Or get started on the freshly completed Cooperative Testing Initiative. Blue and Orange were perfectly obedient and unlike all but one of her previous subjects, had no dramatic fault in being permanently unable to finish a test if they fell into toxic water.

_-blip-_

GLaDOS then realized the repetitive noises she was hearing weren't emitting from any of her processors. They were originating from a dusty corner in the central security room. She activated the camera and zoomed in pass the skeletons to a single green and black monitor. A metal tag above the lit screen simply read: "Surface Radar 7-C."

She watched the monitor intently. Two dots had been picked up near the center, causing the out-dated machine to go haywire. The human and the weight storage companion cube still lingered around like dead weight. The radar system hadn't been integrated since GLaDOS was connected to the main frame so all she could do was listen to the faint beeps, like the turrets that needed redemption.

The dots that represented her previous obstacles had moved away from the shack but stopped twenty yards in the middle of the wheat field. And stayed there.

The electronic opera had faded against the steel walls of the laboratories but the super computer could hear the faint calls from the turrets in storage now.

"Are you still there?"

No. The yellow optic narrowed. The human – Chell – was gone now. And now GLaDOS could get back to what was most important: Science. Then why was the radar still pulled up on the main screen? Why couldn't she stop watching, waiting, wondering? She told the woman to go and she did, but not far enough.

Two hours had stretched pass and the dots remained stationary. Something occurred to GLaDOS.

What if- no.

No.

That woman would NOT throw away the gift she had generously given her. The super computer had had every reason in the world to kill her test subject, and more than ample opportunities to do so. But instead, the AI had been kind enough to let her have the one thing she wanted most: her freedom. And this time the solution did work best for both of them. GLaDOS was left with all the time in the world to test, and Chell was out of Aperture and off to do whatever it was that humans did best outside the testing area. Like make more humans, or see a therapist.

Except instead of testing, all she could do was stare at the pix-elated dots. She didn't know why humans coveted the surface so much. She thought it was due to the Vitamin D deficiency, but that was provided in the Aperture Science Full Spectrum Florescent Lighting Bulbs and Orbs (a standard issue equipment in all testing and work environments).

GLaDOS felt an urge rise up in her. An urge to send all possible resources to that dreaded outside and check on her test subject. No. That was absurd. Why would she waste valuable resources on a ticking time bomb? Still, the urge remained and it grew more rapidly with each passing second. The urge came from a certain location that was _supposed_ to have been formatted so she could focus on future tests and not any human feelings. It reminded her of the scientists' reaction when she had tried testing out Schroeder's Cat theory. She then found herself disgusted to have made the relation between her and those humans and shook it from her memory.

The Cooperative Testing Units. They could be sent out. They would make it quick, only a few minutes of exposure, they could handle it. Blue and Orange ran on much simpler algorithms than she did but they could perform simple retrieval tasks. Besides, it wasn't as if they were being useful at the moment. While previously in her chamber to help get rid of the human, Atlas and P-Body had moved (or rather, been sent) to the HUB to await further instructions. That was until they passed the extra six seconds of the trust time limit and pushed one another off the edge.

The dots hadn't even moved so much as a centimeter. She couldn't wait any longer. Panels moved to show off a wall covered in hundred of buttons with assigned tags. Deep down, the irony was not lost on her; the world's most advanced computer and she controlled most of the facility with the push of a button. In mere picoseconds she found the correct one and pressed it with her mechanical claw.

Behind the prestine walls of the facility, in the control center of manufacturing, towered the Reassembly Machine. A cylindrical gyroscopic column with hundreds of 'arms' reaching out, crossing over each other and dissapearing into walls. The most inner layer was always running. After the humans dissapeared and even after GLaDOS was shut down the machine ran, performing the basics of background processes like the Turret Manufacturing Line. At the signal from the button in GLaDOS' chamber, a row of red lights started to click on.

The Reassembly Machine whirled to life and compiled Atlas and P-body together in record timing, as if it sensed the urgency of the situation. The computer set some portals up to direct them to the surface elevator and waited as if every second seem to morph into an hour. When Blue and Orange were finally ready, she composed herself had and to remember that the robots needed very simple and detailed instructions.

Atlas and P-Body looked around, waiting and confused. They were always confused. Then just as GLaDOS opened the communication line to give them their orders, the radar blips slowed down further. She brought her attention back to the monitor and saw the two dots moving away from the center point then disappeared out of range.

The AI was silent in disbelief. Were all humans this twisted? To trick others into thinking something had happened when it was nothing at all? What had she been doing up there all this time, and why hadn't she left the clearing? Rage boiled up inside her and the former test subject should consider herself lucky the surface defence wasn't online.

Words could not be formed to describe the anger that was rising in her. All she could do was raise her mechanical arm and push a button with such force that the plastic cracked and folded into itself.

"Back to testing."

The explosions from Atlas and P-Body echoed off the chamber walls and in another part of Aperture Science, the Reassembly Machine held back a sigh and began his job again.

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><p>Author's Notes:<p>

Thank you to those who reviewed the first chapter. It made me really happy to see people were interested in this even though there was no initial ChellDOS.

On that note, there may be a slightly longer delay for Chapter 3 as I try to toy around with ideas I keep coming up with for the plot to this.

Again, input is welcomed and appreciated.

Thank you.


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